Closure for collapsible tubes.



W. P. BURBAGE.

cLosuR'E FOR coLLAPsmLE TUBES.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 29, 1916.

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WILLIAM I. BUnBnGE',`or, PHILADELPHIA, PENNsYLvANIA. I

' cLosUaE Fon VcoLLArsIisLE TUBES.

To aZZ-wLom t may concern.' Beit known that I, WILLIAM l?. BURBAGE, a citizen of the United States, residing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,'have invented a Closure for Collapsible Tubes, of which the following is a specification.

One object of my invention is to provlde a device which shall automatically act to close Y the delivery'opening of a container such as those commonly used to hold tooth paste, shaving cream and the like ;-the arrangement of parts being suchthat the likelihood of contamination of the contentsor of the structures adjacent said delivery opening by dirt, etc., shall be reduced to a minimum.

I further desire to provide an automatically acting device for use with manually collapsible tubes of the general character above noted which, in addition to including a valve opened by pressure exertedA on the contents of the tube by compression of theV Figures 1 andA 2 are elevations of a col-l lapsible tube showing the cap in its closed and open positions-respectively; and

Figs. 3 and 4 are longitudinal sections of the tube on an enlarged scale,-showi ng its interior parts in the positions occupied respectively before and while pressure is exertedV on the collapsible tube.

In the above drawings l represents a con- Y tainer which in the present instance has the form of a tube of metal foil provided at one end with a head 2.1nade of comparatively stili metal and having its other end rolled up to a greater or less extent depending upon the quantity of material which it contains.

VMounted on and forming a continuation of the head 2 is a tubular projection-3 forming anozzle having a delivery opening 4 in one side and externally threaded adjacent its outer extremity. Mounted on this. nozzle is an internally threaded cap 5 which when Specification of Letters Patent.l

Application inea April 2e, 191s. 'serial No. 94,487.-

Patented June 5, l191 7.

screwed onto it as far as possible, closes'or extends over the delivery opening 4, the inner edge of .said cap being preferablybent or proJected inwardly to a greater or less extent so as to prevent its complete removal Y from the-nozzle 3, although permitting it to be unscrewed to the position shown inFig. 2.

Mounted within the cylindrical passage in the nozzle, is a valve in the shape of a cyf lindrical' plunger 6 normally forced inward k by a spring 7 toward the comparatively narrow neck at the inner end of said passage litgbeing noted that this valve normally oc-4 cupies such` a position as to completely cut oi communication between the interior of the container 1 and the delivery opening 4. If, however, it be desirable to secure some of the plastic or viscous material from with-` in the container 1, the cap; 5 is unscrewed to the position shown in Fig. 2, thus uncovering the opening 4.

If now sufficient pressure be exerted on the walls ofthe tube l, the resulting pressure transmitted through the material in said tube to the piston or valve 6 will` cause this to move outwardly in the lnozzle against the-action of thel spring 7 until it uncovers the delivery opening 4, whereupon the mate-A rial will be discharged in the form of a ribbon,- etc., through said opening, depending upon -itsoutlineI `When suilicient of the paste or'-y other material has been secured,

the pressure on the tube is stopped, whereupon the pressure .of the spring 7 on' the valve 6 forces this inwardly vso that it -covyers the opening'4, the more or less flexible walls of Jthe tube yielding sufficiently to permit of the entrance of the paste, etc.,

from the nozzle Sf'under the action of| the valve. n

Thereafter the cap 5 may lbe again screwed on the nozzle into position to Cover the delivery opening, so that not vonly is lthere no possibility of dirt or foreign 'materi getting into said openin so as to contamiiiaV-te the contents of thegtube, but in addition the cap eiifectually prevents such foreign material coming into contact with and adhering to the external surface of said nozzle 3 in the vicinity of the opening.,

When the device is in frequent use, the 4cap is vallowed to remain in its outer position and the automatic valve is depended upon to normally close the delivery opening.

bviously the'movingof'the cap-5 to itsinner or closed position so holds the plunger and spring that it is impossible for said plunger to be forced into such a position as to uncover the delivery opening 4 before the cap is unscrewed, although the moving outwardly of said cap so lessens the force exerted by the spring 7 that the ordinary pressure used in colla sing the wall of the tube is `suiicient to rive the valve back against the action of said spring.

1. The combination of a container having a collapsible wall and a nozzle formed with a side delivery opening; a plunger slidable in the nozzle; a cap movable to cover or uncover the opening at will; a Spring operay tive between the plunger and sald cap; and means for preventing the plunger from movp ing out of the nozzle into the container.

2. The combination of a container having a collapsible wall and a nozzle formed with a side delivery opening; a plunger slidable in said nozzle under the pressure exerted by the contents of the container when its Wall -is collapsed to uncover the opening; means on the-plunger for preventing it from passing out of the nozzle into the container; a cap vmounted on the nozzle and movable to COVCI OI'A UDCOVBI' will; and a spring operative between the plunger and the cap.

l 3. The combination of a container having a collapsible Wall and an externally threaded nozzle having a side delivery opening; a sleeve slidably mounted in the nozzle, closed at its inner end and having an outwardly extending flange at its outer end whereby it is preyented from moving out of the nozzle into the container; a cap threaded on the nozzle and of a length capable of being screwed up to cover the delivery opening at will; with a spring mounted between the closed yend of the sleeve and the cap.

WILLIAM P. BURBAGE.

the delivery opening at 

